Local teachers receive grants from Morro Bay Art Association 

Grants help fund art programs, projects

–The Morro Bay Art Association has announced three area art teachers who are winners of their Students Matter in Art, or SMART grants. They are Tess Harback of Atascadero High School, Amber Wickersham of Templeton High School, and Katrina Osborne of Morro Bay High School.

The Morro Bay Art Association makes these grants available to all SLO County High School art teachers. These applicants describe how they would use the funds in their Art program to benefit their art students. The students of these recipients are then invited to present their artwork in a Gallery Show in the Morro Bay Art Gallery at 835 Main Street. This year’s Student SMART Grant Show is scheduled for April 25 – May 18.

About the winners:

Harback and the Atascadero High School art department, serve 360 students and will use her grant to further explore the concepts of STEAM – Science, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. Their curriculum p=complies with the National Standards for Visual Arts Education. The grant money will help with supplies to carry that out.

Wickersham, who teaches at Templeton High School, wants to, “show off the talent and sense of accomplishment of her students with upgraded display materials: mats, frames, etc.” She sees 200 students. “I am continually amazed by the amount of talent and growth my students constantly show and want to show it to the world.”

Osborne of Morro Bay High School and one of last year’s winners, sees 170 students a semester. She wants to upgrade her materials for her advanced drawing and ceramic classes. She is also inviting local artists to visit her classroom to work with students and/or give presentations.

Student work from these three teachers will be displayed in the gallery beginning April 25. Their show continues through May 14 with an awards reception on Sunday, May 1 from 2-4 p.m. Everyone is invited to celebrate the efforts of these teachers and students.

About the author: News Staff

News staff of the A-Town Daily News wrote and edited this article from local contributors and press releases. Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Connect with him on Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog. He can be reached at [email protected].